Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Surrey, United Kingdom

For one person, living is cheaper in Glasgow: $2,425 a month against $3,025 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Surrey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
Learn more

Glasgow Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
Learn more

Surrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Surrey

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glasgow and in Surrey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Glasgow and in Surrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $3,025 in Surrey, rent included.

Glasgow $2,425
Surrey $3,025

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Glasgow vs $4,456 in Surrey, rent included.

Glasgow $3,706
Surrey $4,456

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Glasgow vs $5,887 in Surrey, rent included.

Glasgow $4,987
Surrey $5,887

Glasgow is about 20% cheaper than Surrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Glasgow and Surrey sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, Surrey by 122%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £16.02

$23.47 £17.66

-9.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 £50.6

$59.5 £44.75

13.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 £7.96

$9.62 £7.24

9.98%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.62

$4.77 £3.59

0.84%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 £1.70

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.38

$1.48 £1.11

23.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 £4.12

$6.54 £4.92

-16.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.99

$6.15 £4.63

7.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.31 £0.99

27.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.10 £1.58

-21.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 £1.51

$1.60 £1.21

25.00%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.01

$4.15 £3.13

-3.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 £6.99

$8.62 £6.49

7.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 £6.84

$9.33 £7.02

-2.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.61

$16.52 £12.43

1.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.27

$3.19 £2.40

-5.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 £1.14

$1.48 £1.12

2.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 £2.19

$2.03 £1.53

43.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 £2.40

$3.26 £2.45

-2.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.38 £1.04

39.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.79 £1.35

-13.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 £0.85

$1.40 £1.06

-19.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.17 £0.88

35.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.96 £18.03

$23.32 £17.55

2.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 £8.52

$10.47 £7.88

8.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.53

$2.22 £1.67

51.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.51

$2.50 £1.88

33.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £3.00

$3.90 £2.93

2.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £81.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.33

$5.22 £3.93

10.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 £45.62

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.93 £1.45

8.29%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$39.3K £29.6K

$38.1K £28.7K

2.99%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.6K £30.6K

$41.0K £30.8K

-0.83%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$312 £235

$263 £198

18.93%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$20.29 £15.27

$13.29 £10.00

52.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.05 £31.65

$35.87 £27.00

17.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 £28.08

$52.7 £39.69

-29.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.73 £15.60

$18.44 £13.88

12.42%

Cinema Ticket

$16.26 £12.24

$13.07 £9.84

24.41%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,124 £846

$2,137 £1,609

-47.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K £16.3K

$29.9K £22.5K

-27.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 £99.3

$52.7 £39.69

150.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 £34.48

$40.02 £30.12

14.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.2

$87.4 £65.8

22.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 £70.3

$93.0 £70.0

0.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 £1,030

$1,945 £1,463

-29.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 £788

$1,864 £1,403

-43.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,770 £2,084

$3,308 £2,489

-16.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 £1,565

$3,400 £2,559

-38.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,035 £3,037

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,923 £2,200

$7,255 £5,460

-59.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,339 £2,513

$4,565 £3,436

-26.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.4

-11.30%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Last update for Surrey: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1K 43.2%

Surrey

$1.9K 61.6% 78% $817

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$375 15.5%

Surrey

$312 10.3% 16.8% $63

Eating Out

Glasgow

$317 13.1%

Surrey

$334 11% 5.4% $17

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$311 12.8%

Surrey

$293 9.7% 5.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Surrey

$123 4.1% 27.7% $47

Getting Around

Glasgow

$135 5.6%

Surrey

$21 * 0.7% 84.6% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$70 2.9%

Surrey

$79 2.6% 13% $9.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,368 in Glasgow versus $1,945 in Surrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 37% higher in Surrey. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Glasgow versus $59 in Surrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $293 – making Surrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇬🇧 Surrey

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

Same time as Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

585

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Glasgow Surrey 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Glasgow
Surrey

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Glasgow vs Surrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $3,025 in Surrey – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,637 per month in Glasgow and $4,538 in Surrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Glasgow, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,368 there versus $1,945 in Surrey.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,425 in Glasgow and $3,025 in Surrey. That’s a gap of about 25%.

Kindergarten costs $1,124 per month in Glasgow and $2,137 in Surrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Glasgow, where all-in costs run around $2,425, than in Surrey at $3,025. In Glasgow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Glasgow – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Glasgow. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.